OLYMPIA – On a flat plain of hardened earth under a spectacular golden sun that felt like a warming gift from the gods, the Olympic Games truly came home yesterday.

It was here, according to Greek mythology, that a lightning bolt Zeus heaved from Mount Olympus landed, creating a place of worship and the site of the ancient Olympics in 776 B.C.

And it was here that the shot put championship was decided yesterday.

“It’s God’s gift to athletes, to shot putters, to be where it all started,” said Australia’s Justin Anlezark.

For the women throwers, it was truly the start. They were forbidden to compete on these sacred grounds; the penalty was to be thrown off a cliff.

Perhaps that is why women’s shot champ Irina Korzhanenko, wrapped in the Russian flag, took a victory lap around the oval that once featured chariot races.

This was where the Olympic ideals were founded. Athletes who were found to have cheated were flogged. Monuments were erected warning others of the penalty for forsaking virtue.

Every four years thousands from all over the world came to enjoy the sports and debauchery. Yesterday thousands of fans, some wearing little more than the ancient Greeks did, came to honor the athletes and each other.

“It was sheer spectacle,” Tony Perrottet, author of The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games, said of the Olympic Games in an interview with National Geographic. “This was the total pagan entertainment package.”

ESPN was not here. The uncivilized ring of cell phones was not heard. The wave, thank Zeus, was not done. There was one refreshment stand run by a father and son. The fans ranged in age from months to decades.

“I am so proud that worldwide, people got to see why we have thought of this as a holy place,” said 91-year-old George Lambracos, the oldest Olympic volunteer, who lived in Brooklyn for nine years. “Today, I feel the spirit of the Olympics.”

There was spirit, singing, clapping and dancing. Fans waved their nation’s flags.

The shot was a perfect choice to come to Olympia. It is beautiful in its simplicity. A man heaves a 16-pound ball (women throw a 12-pounder) as far as every muscle fiber and blood cell will allow.

There is no judging of skill. There are no compulsories. The small section of seats set aside for Olympic officials and dignitaries was situated right behind the stone ruins of the ancient judge’s box.

“I feel very familiar here,” said Yuriy Bilonog of the Ukraine. “It’s like home.”

Bilonog also feels like an Olympic champ. On his final throw, he tied American Adam Nelson’s longest throw of 21.16 meters. When Nelson fouled on his last throw, Bilonog, who also had the second longest throw, grabbed a Ukrainian flag and began hand-slapping with fans.

The shot putters, in keeping with the history of the ancient games, received wreaths, not medals. It was a fitting conclusion. They had taken a walk back in time.

There is one arch remaining among the ruins of Zeus’ temple and they entered and left the Ancient Stadium through that walkway.

“This is better than anything I could have dreamed of,” Nelson said after the morning qualifying. “This facility is absolutely world class. It has been for 3,500 years so why would it change now?”